The Christmas Thief
by QueenAlicorn
Summary: Look at the title. ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’. Right from the beginning you know the Grinch is guilty. Without a trial or a jury. But maybe, just maybe, the Grinch didn’t steal christmas. But if it wasn’t the Grinch, then who was it?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own The Grinch, or How The Grinch Stole Christmas, or it's characters.

Note: I have always loved the story How The Grinch Stole Christmas. I love the book, the cartoon, the live action and the new animation. I know that the live action gets on some people's nerves, but there is a lot about the story that I do love. And this story, I hope, will be a little of all the stories. All while throwing a bit of my twists on the way. I hope for all the fans that love the story as much as I do and will pick up if the Easter eggs I plan to plant.

Chapter 1,

Valentine's Day, a monstrous affair of hearts and hugs, and kisses. The Grinch hates it so, but he wasn't the only one. He walked around Whoville and it was clear who was in love and who was miserable at this time of year. The shoe salesman with the shy smile was happy. The cashier with a huge smile plastered on her face was sad. The distracted bag boy was happy. And the store manager yelling at his employees was sad. The Grinch hates coming into town but he needed some supplies for a new invention. You see the Grinch was quite the engineer; always attempting to make life a bit easier for him and his customers. Right now he was building a machine that could easily make breakfast for people on the go. The Grinch called it a Break-case, or a Brief-fest. He hadn't decided which was better. But he needed to get some small motorized fans for insulation. Otherwise the device might overheat and catch fire. The Grinch quickly found them in their usual spot, and bought a case. He listened carefully around the store, being the paranoid furry beast that he was, he was worried about being jumped.

"Sprinkles! Come on girl, where are you? Sprinkles! Excuse me, ma'am have you seen my puppy, Sprinkles? No? Excuse me. Excuse me, sir." The Grinch could heat the child before he laid eyes on her.

She entered the store holding a picture of a full grown dog asking anyone she saw if they knew anything; the Grinch heart went out to the child, but he hasn't seen any dogs, so there wasn't anything he could do. He thought that if he passed her without making any eye contact, then she would ignore him. But when he walked out of the store, he could hear her calling out to him.

"Mr. Green-man, Mr. Green-man, please stop." The child asked and the Grinch sighed and he stopped for her.

"Look kid, I haven't seen your dog." The Grinch said and the child walked right up to him. It was unusual for the Grinch who was use to people standing away from him. But he got a good look at the child. She was about two feet tall, she was blonde and she had her hair tied up in a traditional Who fashion.

"Please, Mr. Green-man. Look at the photo." The child said and she looked so worried that the Grinch had to comply.

"It's a cute dog. And I'll be sure to keep an eye out for it, kid." The Grinch said and the child sniffed and the Grinch couldn't help but sigh.

"Listen kid, what's your name?" The Grinch asked and the child looked up at him with her sad baby blue eyes.

"Cindy." She said and the Grinch nodded.

"Cindy, where is your mother?" The Grinch asked and Cindy sniffled.

"She has to pick up my brothers at Day Care, then she is going to drop us off at my aunts house so that she can work at the hospital tonight." Cindy said and the Grinch nodded.

"I know where the Day Care is. Come on, let's go there. She is probably worried sick about you." The Grinch said and a few tears left her eyes and she nodded.

They walked in silence, which the Grinch did like; but he didn't enjoy the way Cindy kept trying to hold the Grinch's free hand. He couldn't understand why the child insisted upon doing this. Especially since she had just met him. She would grab his hard, then the Grinch would pull his hand away and she simply grabbed his hand again. But finally they got to The Who-Care building. The Grinch looked around for a random woman who resembled this tiny and random child. Or perhaps a screaming hysterical woman who couldn't find her child.

"Hey kid, do you see your mom?" The Grinch asked an Cindy looked around.

"Oh, there she is, by the door, she just came out." Cindy said and the Grinch looked up, and he saw a blonde who, about his height, well maybe shorter. She was holding a set of twin boys and shrugged while the two boys made faces and lunges for the other. There was something about her that threw the Grinch off, and it took him a second to realize that he was staring at this woman.

"Um, excuse me, ma'am, is this your daughter?" The Grinch said and the woman turned and her eyes widened as she saw Cindy standing next to the Grinch.

"Oh, man, Cindy. I told you to stand by the flagpole." The woman said and Cindy sniffled.

"Sorry mommy." Cindy said.

"Well, what did you think you were doing?" The mother asked and Cindy's eyes widened.

"Ma'am, it seems like your daughter was asking the kind people of Whoville about a little canine named Sprinkles." The Grinch intervened and the mother blinked then sighed.

"Cindy I know how much you loved that dog, but you can't go roaming around town all by yourself." The mother said and then the woman turned towards the Grinch and gave him a small smile.

"Thank you for bringing my daughter back to me. You're Mr. Grinch, correct?" The woman said and the Grinch.

"Yeah, the green fur does tend to make me stand out." The Grinch said and the mom giggled softly.

"Well, thank you, Mr. Grinch." The woman said and the Grinch smiled.

"You're welcome, Mrs...?" The Grinch said and the woman blushed at the realization that she hadn't introduced herself.

"Oh, please, I'm Miss Donna Lou Who." She said and the Grinch wanted to ask why she wasn't married, but he really didn't want to make her feel awkward.

"Well, Miss Lou Who, I'm sure that you don't really need me anymore, so I'll just get out of your hair." The Grinch said and Donna nodded.

"Ok, Mr. Grinch. Now Cindy, what do we say to Mr. Grinxh for bringing you back to mommy?" Donna said and Cindy stared at her mother and Cindy grew angry.

"Nothing." Cindy said and Donna blinked.

"Cindy that isn't very polite." Donna said and Cindy took a step away from her.

"Who cares about being polite? Sprinkles is missing and it seems like I am the only one who cares." Cindy said and the mother set down her boys and knelt down to Cindy.

"Honey, please understand that I do care, but we can only do so much." Donna said and Cindy looked disgusted.

"You're not doing anything, mom." Cindy said and Donna was thinking to stay patient.

"That's not true." Donna said and Cindy clenched her fists.

"I'm gonna do something; I'm gonna find my dog." Cindy said and she ran away.

"Cindy!" Donna called out to her, but she hesitated.

"You get her. I'll grab the boys and follow you." The Grinch quickly said when he recognized her dilemma. So without another word, Donna ran after Cindy and the Grinch turned to the twins and was easily able to pick them up and run after Donna. The Grinch has been to Whoville many, many times, but he never once considered that he would be trapped in a situation like this; chasing after a little girl trying to find her dog while carrying two boys and following an overworked mother. However the Grinch had a sneaky feeling like this whole display was the beginning of something big.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own How the Grinch Stole Christmas or it's characters.

Chapter 2,

"Cindy!" Donna shouted.

"Cindy!" The Grinch shouted. He looked around as best as he could, but since he was still holding the boys, that proved to be challenging.

"Oh, no, I don't see her anywhere." Donna said, and the Grinch stood beside her.

"It's ok, Donna. Whoville is a tight nit community and I am sure someone around here has seen Cindy." The Grinch said and Donna groaned and put her head in her hands.

"Oh, if only my husband were still here. He would have been able to calmly talk to Cindy about Sprinkles running away." Donna said and the two walked around, not really looking at each other.

"Well, it all confuses me." The Grinch said and one of the boys was reaching for her, so Donna took one of her sons out of the Grink's hands

"What do you mean?" Donna asked and the Grinch shrugged.

"Well maybe it's because I've never had a pet before, but I simply cannot understand why Cindy is throwing such a fit over some dog." The Grinch said and Donna slowed down to a stop, which got the Grinch's attention, and he stopped as well.

"Well, Sprinkles was the last present my husband, Max, gave to Cindy." Donna said and the Grinch blinked.

"I'm sorry to bring up such a painful memory." The Grinch said and Donna chuckled softly.

"It's kind of funny, actually. I was so mad at Mx for getting that dog for Cindy. But he talked about how his father bought him a dog on his 8th birthday, and it was a Lou-who tradition. I was gonna make Max return Sprinkles but after I saw Cindy playing with her, I jut melted. I couldn't help it." Donna said.

"If I'm not overstepping my bounds... Can I ask you what happened to your husband?" The Grinch asked and Donna took a deep breath before answering.

"My husband was a good man, Mr. Grinch. He was always willing to lend a hand. But some times there is a price for unconditional kindness." Donna said and she seem to have difficulty to find the right words.

"He was coming home, after a long day of work. It was raining really hard so I called him to remind him that he had a spare raincoat in the bottom left drawer of his desk. A-and he... he said 'thanks darlin'. See you at home... love you.' And he hung up. How was I suppose to know that was the last time that we would ever speak?" Donna gave a long pause as the memory played in her mind. The Grinch respected her silence, and made sure to check more areas around them, to find Cindy and maybe the dog.

"I was worried after 30 minutes. Imagine how I felt after an hour, then a second one. My whole body jumped when the phone rang. I rushed to it, and I think somehow I knew that my husband wasn't coming home that night, or any other night. The call was from the hospital and they told me that Max stopped to help someone with a flat tire. And while he was on the ground, he got hit by a car that was passing by him. They tried to save him, but he was dead before the ambulance got there. They needed me to come and identify the body. I called up my sister to come watch the kids, and I saw my Max laying there. It was really hard to take, but even harder to try and explain it to Cindy." Donna said and the Grinch cleared his throat.

"I can't imagine the pain you went through." The Grinch admitted and Donna sighed.

"It's been about a year since the accident, though. I act strong for the kids because they are so young, but all of the adults are still passive and quiet around me." Donna said and the Grinch shrugged.

"I'm sure that they are only trying to be respectful." The Grinch said and Donna nodded.

"I know that, but every once in a while it just drives me up the freakin' wall. I'm not a fragile doll that could break at any moment." Donna said and the Grinch almost smiled.

"I suppose this town really cares about you. I hear many who's and they would never be so kind to me." The Grinch said and Donna looked at him.

"I know that there are lots of rumors about you, going around town. It must be really hard." Donna said and the Grinch shrugged.

"Not as hard as losing a loved one." The Grinch said and Donna was silent for a moment. In that time, the Grinch looked around and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Though he did see The Who tower and saw what time it was.

" so, Cindy told me that you're a nurse." The Grinch stayed and Donna nodded.

"Yeah, I am. It's a nice way to help people get better without being overly pushy." Donna said and the Grinch looked at her.

"What do you mean?" The Grinch asked and Donna shrugged a little.

"It's just that everyone gets sick. Lots of people break a bone, and several get into accidents or are hurt in other ways. But some people would rather suffer through the pain then get help. At least at a hospital you can help them because they want help, or they can't refuse help." Donna said.

"Alright, I get that." The Grinch said and Donna went ahead and smiled at him.

"So what line of work are you in, mr. Grinch?" Donna asked and the Grinch shifted the boy to his other side.

"I'm an inventor. I make inventions that I design, or people request. Traditionally I sell to big companies because they can mass produce, but sometimes I take stuff and sell them in town." The Grinch said and Donna was impressed but also confused.

"Really? That's interesting, I haven't heard of an inventor selling their product in town." Donna said and the Grinch smiled.

"Actually I just give them to Bricklebaum to sell in his shop. He thinks that we are best friends so he doesn't tell people that I was the one that actually made it." The Grinch said and Donna thought about this for a moment.

"You know if you put so much time and effort into making it, then you should be proud." Donna said, and the Grinch couldn't help but smile.

"I am proud, Donna." The Grinch said simply.

"Then why don't you sell your own products?" Donna asked and the Grinch's face fell.

"Because I know that no one would buy something from me. Especially if it was something I actually made." The Grinch said sadly, and Donna looked away quickly. She thought she saw Cindy's bright pink jacket, but it was just a man in a store with a bag of cotton candy.

"Well, you never know until you try." Donna said and the Grinch shrugged.

"Maybe, but the only people who tolerate me is people who work for stores. In fact, you're the first person to speak to me as if I were a real who." The Grinch said and Donna blinked.

"I..." Donna started and she blinked and looked around.

"Oh, this is my sister's neighborhood. I told her that I would drop the kids off before work." Donna said and the Grinch pulled the boy off of him and handed him to Donna.

"You should probably go update her then. I think I'll go down this way; there are two butcher shops on this street, kosher and regular. It might be a good place for a dog to run to." The Grinch said and Donna smiled.

"You're right. Which means Cindy might be there too. I'll go drop the boys off and meet up with you." Donna said and the Grinch watched her leave for a moment, feeling something odd. He decided to ignore it and walk down the street.

He wasn't exactly sure where that dog would be, but he at least had the feeling that Cindy might be there. After all the kid is smart, even if she is emotional; and the Grinch respected that, even if he didn't have a dog.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own How the Grinch Stole Christmas or it's characters.

Chapter 3,

The Grinch walked down the street cautiously. He didn't want to miss the little blonde in the pink jacket. The Grinch always thought that it was odd that the kosher butcher was right beside the regular butcher. He wasn't exactly sure what made 'kosher meat' kosher, but wasn't there a change that a delivery truck would mistake the shops. Can kosher meat be contaminated by regular meat?

The Grinch shook his head to help push those thoughts out of his head. The front of the store was clean if young girls and their dogs. The Grinch checked the alley beside the kosher butcher, and saw nothing. He went ahead and looked through the window; just in case Cindy went inside to ask about her dog. There were plenty of people there to buy brisket for their romantic dinners, but no blonde little girls. He slowly walked to the other shop, glancing at the alley between the two shops. He looked in the window of the other shop, and the other alley. The Grinch scoffed at his lack of success. He walked to that alley that's between the two stores. This seemed like such a good spot for Cindy and that dog to be. He wasn't sure of another place for him and Donna to look. And surely that kid must be freezing by now. The snow was three inches tall, and the wind made it 39 degrees cooler. The Grinch being covered in fur and had a scarf around his neck, and even he was cold.

He crossed his arms and shivered, shutting his eyes. It was then, that he heard a low sound, a tiny metallic squeak. The Grinch opened his eyes, and looked down the alley. There was a garbage can at the edge, so he walked over to it. He was hesitant at first, until he saw a blonde pigtail, and then he rushed over.

"Cindy!" The Grinch said and he saw her behind the metallic trash bin, and she seemed to be pushing it.

"Cindy Lou, what are you doing back there?" The Grinch asked and she looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Sprinkles is under there." Cindy said and the Grinch blinked.

"Well, maybe we can get a sausage to tempt her out from under there." The Grinch suggested and Cindy shook her head violently.

"I tried that, it didn't work. I think there is something seriously wrong with her. I think she might be bleeding, and there's a funny smell coming from it too." Cindy said and she weakly pushed the bin, which squeaked.

"P-please help me, Mr. Grinch." Cindy said and the Grinch sighed. He straightened his back and grabbed the bin with both hands. He pulled it away from the wall as if it were as light as a coffee table.

"Sprinkles!" Cindy cried. The Grinch looked down at the dog, or should he say dogs. Sprinkles was hiding under that trash bin giving birth. She had already given birth to one puppy, and almost finished a second one.

"Come on girl." Cindy petted her dog. She quickly removed her own jacket, and held her hands out to catch the baby like a doctor would. The Grinch looked down at the puppy in the snow. He was worried about it. He read somewhere that a dog can give birth to puppies 20 minutes apart. The Grinch knelt down and shook the tiny thing, to see if it was still alive. The puppy shifted slightly and the Grinch gasped. He tore off his scarf and wrapped the frozen dog, keeping the head exposed so it could still breath properly. The Grinch held this dog close to his body, and looked over at Cindy who was putting puppies on her jacket like a blanket.

"Grinch? Cindy!" Donna rushed over.

"Look mom, Sprinkles is having puppies." Cindy said and Donna hugged her daughter.

"uh, I think I better run and get a vet." The Grinch said, standing up.

"Thank you, Mr. Grinch." Donna said, and the Grinch froze for a moment. A statement like that rarely hit his ears and it surprised him every time. He took a deep breath, and held the dog close to his chest and ran to the vet.

Ironically the Grinch knew exactly where the vet was. Luke a great informant whenever he made an invention for pets. Luke knew that the Grinch made people uncomfortable, so Luke allowed the Grinch to use the employee entrance in the back. The Grinch rushes throughout the door and Luke jumped when he saw the Grinch.

"Oh, hey there. Whose that in your arms?" Luke asked, coming over to look at the dog in the Grinch's scarf.

"I, uh, listen Luke." The Grinch pulled the dog closer and rose his hand to stop Luke.

"There this little girl by the butchers. We found her dog giving birth in the show. I just picked this one up, because I thought it was dead until moved." The Grinch said and Luke's eyes widened. He grabbed a a plastic bin and a medical bag, and threw on a jacket.

"Zoey! I'm going out. Fees the kittens and give Mr. Whiskers his medicine!" Luke called out and the men ran out. He hey both ran as fast as he could, back to Cindy Lou and Sprinkles. All the while, the Grinch held onto this random little puppy; afraid that it's life depended on the Grinch's warmth. When Luke got to the dog, Donna pulled Cindy away to give him more room.

"That was fast, Mr. Grinch." Donna whispered to the Grinch, who suddenly got flustered.

"I, uh... thanks. Luke's the best." The Grinch said and Donna smiled at him.

"Oh, what's with this little guy." Donna asked, gently using a finger to shift the scarf.

"It's the first one out. It was just laying in the snow when we found it. I thought some bodily heat would help to warm it up." The Grinch said and Donna smiled.

"She looked good, Mrs.Lou-Who. I brought this bin to help transport her and her puppies, back to your house. Normally I would advise to not move her but this environment could effect the puppies." Luke said and Donna went over and helped Luke to move Sprinkles as gently as possible.

Cindy stayed beside the Grinch, watching her mother, and the vet. Cindy was silent for a long time. She didn't utter a word when Sprinkles was lifted in the bin, or on the walk back home, or when the vet took Sprinkles into the living room. She was silent for so long, that the Grinch even became worried about Cindy. Donna has asked them to wait in the kitchen. So he was sitting down at the table, staring at a silent child. He kept thinking of something fun or distracting to think about, but he really didn't know what to say. The Grinch wasn't good at this sort of thing. He was always better at working with his hands, then talking to someone.

The Grinch stood up, and grabbed a metal sauce pan and filled it with water. He turned it on a high heat, and grabbed two mugs. Cindy Lou was too distracted to focus on what the Grinch was doing, which was fine with him. He filled the glasses about 1/3 with milk. He looked over at Cindy again, and she was just staring at the door to the living room. The Grinch turned back to the hot chocolate he was making, and saw that the water was warm enough. He finally added the water to the mugs and brought them to the table, where Cindy was at. When he sat them down, he expected Cindy to turn, thank him, and try it; but she just stared at that door. The Grinch wondered if this reaction was normal or not. Then he looked at his scarf. He placed it, and the dog gently on the table, so he could make Cindy the hot chocolate. The Grinch gently placed his hand on the scarf and stared at the tiny dog within. He barely knows Cindy, and the dog was hers, but already the Grinch could feel himself caring about the girl and the dog. Perhaps he should say something.

"I'm sure that Sprinkles will be alright." The Grinch said and Cindy looked at him.

"What about the puppies?" Cindy asked.

"Well, I'm sure they'll be alright as well. Luke is very good at what he does." The Grinch says and Cindy looked down and saw the hot chocolate. She took a test sip and then a real sip when she saw that it wasn't too hot.

"It must be a little exciting knowing you get to play with a bunch of puppies." The Grinch said with a smile, and Cindy looked more sad.

"I'm not sure we can afford to keep them." Cindy said, and in that moment, Donna walked into the kitchen.

"Cindy, honey. The vet says that you can see Sprinkles." Donna said and Cindy rushed out of the kitchen.

"Thank you for keeping her company during all this." Donna said and the Grinch nodded.

"She was quiet for the longest time. She did say that you may not keep the puppies." The Grinch said and Donna took a deep breath and sat down where Cindy was.

"Puppies are adorable. And if I could afford to keep them I would. But with my job, I have very limited funds for luxuries like pets." Donna said and the Grinch looked at the scarf dog.

"Understandable." The Grinch said and Donna looked at the dog as well.

"This one looks about half the size of the others. If it lives, it may not be adopted." Donna said and the Grinch blinked.

"It's a runt? Oh dear, you're right. Poor thing." The Grinch said and Donna stared at him for a moment, then, smiled.

"Did you know that puppies are born deaf and blind?" Donna asked and the Grinch looked at her.

"I know their eyes don't open for a while, but I didn't know they were deaf." The Grinch admitted.

"I remember a while back I helped Luke for some extra cash. He told me about the development of puppies. They may not see or hear, but they can feel and taste immediately. Then they have a transitional stage, which is two to four weeks after their born. They start to hear, and smell, and their eyes open up. Their sight isn't fully developed by 4 or 5 weeks though. They can also stand, stumble around and such. The puppies need to be with their mother and each other for about 8 weeks so they can properly develop physically and socially." Donna said and the Grinch listened.

"8 weeks, roughly two months depending on if they develop with the proper timeline." The Grinch said.

"Exactly. So I guess what I'm saying, is... well... though you've never had a pet, are you interested in adopting this little guy?" Donna asked and the Grinch stared at her.

"A-adopt?" He said quietly. That word stuck to his core, but Donna didn't seem to notice.

"You seem to really care about this little guy. You wouldn't be able to take him home for about two months, but you would be more then welcomed to come visit it." Donna said and the Grinch gave a breathy chuckle.

"Actually, I'd love that. My cave can be so lonely, and I could use the company." The Grinch said and Donna smiled.

"Then I know that it will have a good home." Donna said and she smiled at the puppy. The Grinch wasn't sure how he got to this moment, but it certainly changed his life; when had asked him about her dog. Actually, when the Grinch thought about it, the mother changed his life for having Cindy. No actually it was the father for giving Cindy Sprinkles in the first place.

"I just wanna let you know that I have the perfect name." The Grinch said and Donna smiled.

"That was fast. What is it's name?" Donna asked, and the Grinch took a deep breath.

"I want to name him, Max." The Grinch said and Donna stared at him.

"You're naming him after my late husband?" Donna asked and the Grinch nodded.

"He sounds like the type of person to honor. Besides if it wasn't for him, then I may never adopt a pet." The Grinch said and Donna felt touched.

"Hello, Max." Donna said and the Grinch smiled.


End file.
